Morris tribune., 1887-01-26
HUNG At THE YARD-ARM.

From the Brooklyn Eagle.
On the top floor of the three-stol
frame house OF Gates avenue lives
woman whose life for the past fort
three wears has been passed under u
shadow of great sorrow. Her nan
is Margaret E. Cromwell and she
the widow OF Samuel Cromwell, OF
of the Inflated seamen who were ex.
euted for mutiny on board the Unite
States brig Somers IN the summer
1842. Mrs. Cromwell is now rs yea
old. She is Of tall, commanding II
ure, and still retains traces OF torme
beauty. In December, l84O, she ma
ried Samuel Cromwell, who came frois
grithtown, Va, and who h2d for thl2
teen years been in the United state
naval service. Cromwel's duties a
lowed him but little time to enjoy tn
society of his bride, and in October
1912, the Somers, on which ne wa
acting as boatswain and instructor
sailed from the Azores, where she wa
then stationed, with dispatches 10
the sloop-of-war Vandalia, stationed
on the African coast. The SomeT
touched at Tenneriffe and Porto Pra
va. and thence sailed to Liberia, where
having accomplished the object OF he
voyage, she started on her return 10
the United States by way Of St. Thom
as.
The crew of the Sonigrs consisted o
eighty apprentices, eighteen ordinary
seamen, five or six midshipmen and
sergeant-at-arms. She was command =
ed by First Lieutenant Alexander Nc
Kenzie and Lieut.. GanseVoOrt was
her second officer. One OF the ma
shipmen was a. lad of 10, named PhlhL8
Spencer. He was a son OF the Secre-
tary of the Navy, and had had abouts
years experience IN the service
Young Spencer was taken on boards
much against the wishes OF Capt.
Mckenzie, some say because he
wanted the position held by Spencer
for g. nephew Of his own, and
others because he had good reasons
for suspecting that the lad was trea-
cherous. However this may be there
is no question as to the fact that Capt
Mckenzie regarded Spencer with ex-
cegsive dislike. Spencer had q defect
in one of his eyes and the captaIn was
constantly twitting him about it.
Samuel Cromwell was a great chum
! Of Spencer's. as was also aman named
Small, who was master at arms. On
! October %, when the SOmers, on her
wav back to the United States, was
| about 500 miles from st. Ihorns
| Island Lieut.. GansevOOrt went to
| Capt. Mckenzie and told him that he
| had discovered a plot to capture the
vessel and TO turn her into a pirate.
Spencer, he said, was the leader, and
Cromwell and Small prominently con-
nected with it. The story had been
told to him by Assistant Purser " ales:
Spencer, Wales said, asked hlm II
he feared death, and he replied IN sucn
| a manner as TO draw from him tuli
disclosure OF the plot. He (Spencerl
then told him that he was leagued
with about twenty OF the crew to seize
the vessel, after killing the officers and
such of the remaining crew as would
| not Join in the conspiracy. Ills pur-
| pose then was to take the vessel to
| the Isle of Pines, fit her up as pirate
| and start out under the black flag,
| attacking only such vessels as they
were sure of capturing. Wales also
| stated that Spencer said that he had
a full plan Of the operations III his
cravat and that he had promised to
disclose them to him subsequently,.
Capt. Mckenzie at first treated the
! communication with derisiOn, but at
| the same time caused a strict watch to
| be kept on Spencer, whose subsequent
| conduct aroused his suspicious.
He was seen examining a map OF
the West Indies, and asked DR..
/ Lecoque, the ships surgeon, questions
! about the Isle Of Pines. According to
| Capt. Mckenzie's account, Spencer,
| Cromwell and Small were found to
! have held nightly conferences, and 1t
was discovered that the former had
given money, tobacco and brandy to
some of the crew. These circumstances
gave weight to Wales, story and Nc
Kenz;e ordered Spencer upon the
| quarter deck and related what he had
heard. Spencer, it is said, admitted
| the conversation with Wales, bat said
+ he had been Joking. Nc. Kenzie told him
| it was a very serious joke and might
| cost him his life His cravat was
then examined, but no papers were
| found. Spencer was placed IN double
! irons, his sword taken from him and
! all communication between him and
| the crew forbidden under penalty OF
| instant death. That evening Crom-
well and Small were also irOned and
confined and increased vigilance en-
| Joined upon the officers.
! Capt. Mckenzie then sent circular
to each of the ships officers (the mid
shipmenwere excepted) asking themt for
their opinion as to what should bedone
! The answer IL each case was that the
three men should be put to death.
The men were told to prepare for their
doom, and it is said that Spencer and
Small then confessed that the sentence
was Just in their own cases, but that
| Cromwell was innocent. 1t was though,
however, that Cromwell was equally
guilty with the others, and the three
men were hung from the yard-arm.
Mrs. Cromwell's story, differs con.
siderably from the accounts published
at the time. from which the above
was partly taken. She says that the
captain had a peculiar grudge against
Spencer i'll particular and again st
Cromwell and Small because they
were Spencer's intimate friends.
"In the latter part of November,
1S42," Mrs. Cromwell said, lone oil
the crew having been detected in steal
ing was put in irons. Knowing the
captains feelings against Spencer, this
man, to curry favor with the captain,
told him that he had overheard Spen-
Ger say to Cromwell the night before.
Sam, what fine pirate she would
make. She runs so fast The cap.
tain ragged and stormed when he heard
this and immediately summoned
Lieut.. Gansevoort, Sergt. Lecoque
and man named Havells, the ships
purser, and formed a court-martial.
The form Of trial was gone through
with and Spencer, Cromwell and
Small were put in sacks and tied to
the guns on deck, where they were
kept from November 20 until Decem.
Der l, when Mckenzie decided that their
doom should be death. 1t was an